ENT features
Hunting for the zorse - hybrid learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
Emma Watts, a West Midlands ENT Registrar and Digital Fellow, gives a witty and concise recollection of ENT training during COVID, and predicts how hybrid learning may be here to stay. *A zorse is the offspring of a zebra stallion...
Aerosol research and performance
Is singing safe? This was a question asked around the world at the start of the pandemic in early 2020. Natalie Watson and Chris Orton tell us about a rapidly-convened research group that led to profound changes in UK Government...
Sniffing out the evidence – COVID-19 and loss of sense of smell and taste
Louis Pasteur once observed: “In the fields of observation chance favors only the prepared mind.” Professor Hopkins was certainly prepared when a few anecdotes of smell problems started to accumulate early in the pandemic’s course. Post-viral olfactory loss is nothing...
Running a post-COVID smell clinic
Over the past year, much of our effort as a speciality has been directed towards crisis management and keeping services afloat. Our practice has changed in untold ways, but unprecedented numbers of patients with smell disorders will increasingly require our...
Loss of smell after COVID-19: a view from the patient forums
Patient advocate, Chrissi Kelly, founder of AbScent, talks about how the pandemic has changed the way we think about smell loss. The high prevalence of chemosensory impairment as a result of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has shone a much-needed spotlight on...
Globalisation, interconnectivity and unintended consequences
Drs Mom and Lea have thrown down the gauntlet, challenging us all to openly assess the global impact we have as countries, societies, surgeons and individuals. Being a surgeon is not all about surgery. How we respond will define our...
Reflections on educational gatherings in the COVID era
The COVID pandemic has brought disruption and uncertainty for the organisers of medical conferences. ENT and audiology have always thrived on a healthy exchange of views and the sharing of knowledge across subspecialties and across national boundaries. Ray Clarke asked...
In conversation with Brian Westerberg and Fred Kozak
Dr Osler caught up with friends and colleagues, Dr Brian Westerberg, current IFOS Vice-President and IFOS 2021 World Congress President, and Dr Frederick Kozak, IFOS 2021 World Congress Vice-President and Scientific Committee Chair, to talk about their vision for the...
The use of a tactical throat mic guitar amp system to improve communication in theatre in the COVID era
During the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV2) pandemic, current guidelines dictate that surgical teams wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in theatre. Currently this is, at a minimum, an FFP3 respirator, a visor, fluid repellent gown and gloves [1]. Many surgeons, particularly in...
Anxiety and acronyms – musings of an otolaryngologist
Personal protective equipment (PPE) has been a focus of attention and concern for healthcare workers around the globe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Neil Tolley discusses some of the issues. I write this article in mid-May when, were it not for...
How will our grandchildren view COVID-19?
Alan Johnson, known to our readers as the former President of ENT UK, gives us his thoughts on the COVID pandemic, looking at it through the lens of other health crises. As I write, COVID-19 is displacing almost all other...
Returning to practice
Here, we provide a combination of written guidelines, podcasts and videos providing information on returning to practice and elective services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Resources will be updated as and when they become available. - Guidelines - 7 July -...
